Today’s scripture: Psalms 107:1
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endures forever.”
Ray Stedman once recalled an experience the preacher, H.A Ironside had in a crowded restaurant. Ironside was about to begin his meal when a man approached and asked if he could join him. The preacher invited him to have a seat then, as was his custom, bowed down his head to pray. When he opened his eyes, the other man asked, “Do you have a headache?” “No,” Ironside replied, “I don’t”. “Is there something wrong with the food?” the man continued. “No, I was simply thanking God as I do always before I eat,” Ironside replied. This drew a caustic response from the fellow.
“Oh you are one of those are you? Well, I want you to know I never give thanks. I earn my money by the sweat of my brows, and I don’t have to give thanks to anybody when I eat. I just dig right in.” After a brief pause Ironside replied, “Yes, you are just like my dogs. That’s what they do too!”
How easy it is to take our continued existence for granted, imagining we owe our sustenance and survival to our own muscle. How wrong we are. There is nothing we have that has not been given to us by God, from the very breath that sustains to everything else that makes for our individual and collective sustenance. Thanksgiving is a necessary response to the graciousness of a benevolent God. From the seemingly mundane, like food and eating, to the weightier issues of life, God deserves thanksgiving. Not only is God deserving of our thanks, He actually requires it. Jesus’ encounter with the ten lepers highlights this. Ten lepers had been shown a remarkable benevolence by the Master – the healing of their bodies. Eight hopped off excitedly, one returned to say thank you. As long as the gospel is preached, we will never forget them.
Let us deliberately make thanksgiving a lifestyle. Not only is this the right thing to do, it is also pleasing to God. And to please God must be the utmost priority of every Christian, a rewarding endeavour in and of itself, for He has not asked the children of Jacob to seek Him in vain (Isaiah 45:19). So go out today with a heart brimming with thanksgiving and your mouths filled with praise. The Lord will bless you, in Jesus name!
Meditate and Memorize:
“I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69: 30
Prayer/Confession:
Father I thank You for Your grace and mercy towards me. Indeed, You have dealt favourably with me. Today, I praise You exceedingly for your goodness and testimonies from my youth. My mouth will never cease to give You glory now and all the days of my life in Jesus Name. Amen.
